Christmas leave priority

Yeah it's not fair. Not everyone has or wants children, but has other family members, nieces, nephews etc who they would love to see on Christmas Day.

The only way I've seen this not end in bitterness is when I've worked in places where there is a full company shutdown over Christmas and the office just shuts down lock, stock and barrel.

I've had my fair share of covering colleagues who go on maternity leave, and then when the baby is born, they leave early for various dr appointments, so I know where you're coming from.

but being unfair doesn't work at all, does it. Even for "young children".

You would give priority to a mum of a toddler, who couldn't care less about the 25 or the 26, and can have a lovely Christmas on any day,

priority to the dad of young children, who are spending Christmas day with mum, grand-parents, uncle, auntie and loads of cousins, and are having a blast anyway,

over the single mother of slightly older children, who will be staying home alone, because they are technically old enough to do so safely, or with their older sibling.

over an older person even, who was going to invite a young widow and her children to have a brighter Christmas than being stuck at home for the first time without their dad.

You can go on...

What is FAIR is giving a chance to everyone, everybody has a life, has different family commitments, not some nonsense about priorities.

People are free to volunteer, but excluding some people from having Christmas day off is ridiculous and unfair.

I think you have been quite rude OP

Yes what your work have said is absolutely ridiculous and makes no sense however of course it's important for parents to be home when their kids are small, they will never get those years back

I understand you are not bothered about that and feel it's not your problem but that's like me saying you seeing your family on Xmas day is not my problem and you knew what before you took the job

That’s not fair at all. I didn’t have DC until my mid thirties and prior to that I’d visit my family for Christmas, who live a few hours away. I had to use public transport which took a lot longer and which meant I couldn’t just go up on the day as none was running.

Thankfully my employer was sensible and fair.

Tbh I actually do think family time with children is far more important. I dont care as much for other holiday but Christmas is completely magical with children and they are only young for such a short period of time.
Also arranging childcare for the huge amounts of time children are off school or nursery is shut is actually fairly unmanageable unless you have a fair amount of family help and thats something you dont understand until you have children.

And can you really not think of any reasons why people without small children might want or need Christmas off?

I think your work sounds mad all round. These rules are crazy, but so is going on about 'Christmas leave' at all when none of you work Christmas day! If you're shut for all bank holidays then what's at stake isn't Christmas leave, it's leave vaguely near Christmas.

Christmas leave should be rotated IMO, regardless of family members. If you worked last year, you get first dibs this.

That’s bollocks. Those that want it off should rotate every other year

^ All of these points. I think this 'policy' is absolutely disgusting, a real slap in the face for people who don't - or can't - have children. I simply cannot believe that they had the nerve to do this, nor that people are defending it.

As a former manager, I dealt with the Christmas off-duty by operating a rota with a 'last in, least choice' for new staff members and allowing people to swap, within reason. Grumbles, sometimes, but never obvious 'indirect' discrimination as we see here. Poor management.

Same priority as single parent with an 8 year old…. But grandparents with 6 year old grandkids come before that - silly system 🤷🏻‍♀️

My kids are grown up now, but working in the NHS I have done my share of Xmas work.

I agree that there should be a rotation - if someone doesn't care about Xmas then they can offer to swap shifts, but there may also be adults with elderly relatives or dying relatives - or quite frankly, that just would like a long weekend.

Rotation is the only fair way.

But there are younger and older parents. Where is the evidence this policy, as weird and unfair as it is, unlawfully disadvantages younger or older workers as a group?

Dont get me wrong. I wouldnt particularly want to be in a position to be defending a claim in a tribunal, but not because id be concerned the discrimination claim would succeed (presumably id have evidence of dealing with past time consuming squabbles between employees about it and other justifications why id implemented that rule). It would be just because I cba with the time and cost of a tribunal.

Well, actually, that is exactly what I am saying and what your employer is saying. You may not like it but, yes, we as society do and should value young children (and their care) over and above other family aspects.

That list will piss so many people off. I do think single parents with children probably do need priority re childcare. Other carers in similar positions most likely the same.

As a parent of a 7 and 10 year old I’d be pretty pissed off that a grandparent with younger kids might get priority over me.
I also think lots of people have reasons for wanting leave at Christmas, may need to travel etc so parents shouldn’t automatically get priority unless there are genuine caring responsibilities.

Sorry if I’m being dense OP but if it’s important to you, could you not hit the road at 6 or 7am on Xmas morning, roads should be quiet and you’re there before lunch? Your work’s system is shit though and think you should all complain. Hope it works out xx

But presumably that's true of the other parent as well? So which one of the shift worker couple qualifies?

No, I wouldn’t want to work every single Christmas and I do think everyone matters & leave should be shared as fairly as possible. I was just pointing out that the children affected matter too. I don’t think treating children like a lifestyle choice is good for anyone: child free people will need (& even enjoy friendships with) younger people in their futures, too.

Xmas day is xmas day for everyone.

It is unfair.

Do you know how many people want to have Christmas off?

I've only experienced this at one place of employment and generally some people volunteered to work (some had no family or just didn't enjoy Christmas) and some wanted the additional pay.

When the team changed though, it became 'first come first served' which worked well until some people had children and understandably wanted to be with them at Christmas.

It was then done on 'case by case' - which frankly caused more problems than ever.

In the end, it was e.g. if you took Christmas off in 2024, you had to work on Christmas 2025. If you are ill, you need to provide evidence.

There's no happy solution.

The best thing to happen is if you can discuss it between yourselves and work it out fairly.

Its nice but its not a right
And it was your choice to volunteer to work .

True, though. Why should childless people have to give up their own priorities at Christmas? We do have lives too, you know.

As someone with kids ( now grown up) I totally agree.
This discriminates against those without children.
I don't actually think its legal TBH.

Grandparents should be nowhere near this list.

unpopular opinion but I think it's nice for people with young children to get Christmas off. It's about the kids not just them. I used to volunteer to work Christmas shifts before I had children myself.